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Felon accused of molesting kids

A five-time convicted felon from Grand Junction has been arrested on charges he sexually assaulted two children at various times over the last 15 years, allegations Mesa County’s top prosecutor called “horrifying.”

Trini Lamar Trujillo, 42, could be charged with six counts each of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust and sexual assault on a child, in addition to related charges. County Judge Craig Henderson ordered him held on a $1 million cash-only bond.

District Attorney Pete Hautzinger said Trujillo’s arrest affidavit is “as horrifying and aggravating as I can recall reading in this type of case.” He told Henderson his office plans to file sentence-enhancing habitual criminal charges against Trujillo and will seek “a long, long prison sentence, if not the rest of his life.”

The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation into Trujillo in December after a girl disclosed to her foster parent that Trujillo and his wife had allegedly physically and sexually abused her, the affidavit said.

In an interview with a sheriff’s investigator, the girl disclosed numerous instances in which she said Trujillo molested her. She also described instances in which she witnessed Trujillo using marijuana and methamphetamine, weighing and packaging drugs for sale and hiding drugs and paraphernalia in her bedroom. In one instance, she said Trujillo’s parole officer came to the house and Trujillo hid the drugs in her room and clothes. She said Trujillo told her not to tell anyone or he would go to jail, the affidavit said.

No new drug-related charges have been filed against Trujillo.

The sheriff’s investigator also interviewed a 20-year-old man who alleged he was sexually abused by Trujillo between the ages of 5 and 7 on several occasions. He said he didn’t tell anyone about the abuse until he was 16 because he was afraid and didn’t think anyone would do anything about it, the affidavit said.

Sheriff’s investigators said records indicate Trujillo has been arrested on multiple occasions since 1991 in Colorado and Utah in cases relating to assaults, drugs, property crimes, driving under the influence and parole violations.